The gluttonous little boy is four and a half years old, and even the wealthy family kneels down and

On the other side, in the kitchen of the adobe house.

Zhang Tianlin squatted in front of the stove adding firewood, his little face glowing red in the firelight.

Yun Mingyue sat on a small stool next to him, her eyes glued to her son, her heart filled with the bittersweet feeling of having lost him again, but she kept getting stuck on the words that came to her lips.

She asked a few questions about daily life, and Zhang Tianlin only lowered his head and gave brief replies, his voice soft and a little shy.

Yun Mingyue felt a mix of sadness and tenderness. She used to be the most eloquent, but now, facing her own son, she couldn't even find a suitable topic to talk about.

The only sound in the room was the crackling of firewood, and the atmosphere gradually became tense.

Zhang Tianlin probably felt awkward too, so he propped himself up on his knees and stood up: "The porridge is almost ready, I'll go check if the little girl is awake."

"Okay, okay," Yun Mingyue quickly got up, hastily smoothing the hem of her clothes. "I'll go with you. Perfect timing... Xiao Jin must be hungry too."

Zhang Tianlin didn't answer and walked silently towards the front room.

To my surprise, when I opened the door, the small blanket on the bed was spread out, and the little baby who should have been lying there was nowhere to be seen.

His heart skipped a beat, and he turned around, shouting, "The little girl is gone!"

Yun Mingyue's expression changed drastically. She rushed in, and seeing the empty bed, her heart leaped into her throat: "Xiao Jin?!"

The two searched the place thoroughly, inside and out, including the main room, kitchen, backyard, and even the woodpile, but they couldn't find a single footprint.

"Where could this child have run off to..." Yun Mingyue panicked so much that her hands trembled. She quickly took out her phone to call Yun Mingyuan, her voice trembling.

Why can't she keep an eye on the children?

Zhang Tianlin stared at the open door, then suddenly slapped his forehead: "Ah! The little girl must have run out by herself again!"

-

At this moment, at the west end of the village, Old Zhou had just returned from outside and sensed something was wrong as soon as he pushed open the courtyard gate.

The gate to the courtyard was ajar. The big black dog, which usually barked wildly at anyone it saw, was now huddled against the wall with its tail between its legs, not daring to lift its head, and whimpering softly in its throat.

Old Zhou's brows furrowed, and his fierce gaze swept across the yard, instantly fixing on the thick wooden plank that had been lifted in the southwest corner.

The cellar entrance was wide open, and the opening shone brightly.

"Damn it!" He spat, slammed the gate shut, grabbed the gleaming hoe from behind the gate, gritted his teeth, and walked towards the cellar entrance. "Which bastard dares to break into my house! They're tired of living!"

He had only taken two steps closer when a yellow shadow "whooshed" out of the cellar entrance and landed "plop" on the muddy ground in front of him.

Old Zhou suddenly stopped in his tracks and squinted at the sight.

It turned out to be a tiny yellow paper figure, no bigger than the palm of his hand, with crooked red talismans drawn on its body. It had paper arms and legs, and was standing with its hands on its hips, glaring at him.

"What the hell?" Old Zhou's eyes widened in disbelief. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.

The little yellow paper figure kicked its short legs and swayed its paper waist, looking fierce and ready to wreak havoc.

At the bottom of the cellar, Xiao Jin, cheeks puffed out, was huffing and puffing as she climbed up the old wooden ladder.

As she crawled, she turned her head and waved her little hand at the people below, calling out in her childish voice:

"Wait a minute! Xiao Jin will come back for you after she defeats the big bad guy!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she climbed to the cellar entrance, her little head peeking out first.

Old Zhou was muttering to himself while looking at the paper figure when he caught a glimpse of a fair-skinned little face emerging from the cellar entrance. The baby was still breastfeeding. His tense nerves instantly relaxed, and then a surge of rage welled up inside him.

"You little bastard!" he sneered, gripping the hoe tightly. "You're barely out of your teens and you dare to meddle in my business? You're asking for it!"

He raised the hoe high and swung it down at Xiao Jin's head, the wind whipping around it.

At this critical moment, the little yellow paper figure suddenly leaped up from the ground, its tiny paper body shooting out like an arrow, its paper foot slamming into Old Man Zhou's eyeball.

A piece of paper should not hurt or itch when it touches a person, but for Old Zhou, it felt like a red-hot silver needle had been pierced into his eye socket.

"Ah—!" he let out a piercing scream.

The hoe in his hand slammed to the ground with a thud. He covered his eyes tightly with both hands, his face trembling with pain, veins bulging on his forehead: "What the hell is this! It hurts like hell!"

The little yellow paper figure floated back to the ground, put its hands on its hips, and struck the same pose as the little brocade that had just crawled out behind it.

Xiao Jin's little chest heaved with anger, her round eyes blazing with fury: "You big bad guy! How dare you bully me!"

"Xiao Jin is going to beat you to a pulp!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she rushed over like a small cannonball.

Not to be outdone, the little yellow paper figures followed closely behind, each with its own piece of paper, working together seamlessly.

Old Zhou retreated hastily, cursing under his breath: "You little brat! I'll kill you!"

He raised his foot and kicked at Xiao Jin. Just as his foot was halfway up the ground, the little yellow paper figure rose into the air again, heading straight for his other good eye.

Having learned his lesson the hard way, Old Zhou was terrified. He hurriedly covered his head and dodged, his footwork becoming chaotic.

Taking advantage of the opening, Xiao Jin rushed up to him, mustered all her strength, and kicked him hard in the back of the knee.

"Thump!"

With a muffled thud, Old Man Zhou screamed and fell to his knees with a thud. His knees hit the hard stone slab with a crisp sound, and the pain made his face turn white.

The little yellow paper figure seized the opportunity to fly up and kick him hard in the back.

Caught between two attacks, Old Zhou fell flat on his face, his mouth full of mud. He groaned and groaned, unable to get up for a long time.

Down in the cellar, Yi Huayue was completely stunned by the screams coming from above.

She knew that voice all too well.

It's Zhou Laogun.

It was that devil who locked her in a dark, sunless cellar, beating and torturing her day after day.

Why was he screaming so pitifully?

What exactly happened up there?

Yi Huayue stared intently at the light-filled cellar entrance, her heart pounding.

The moment the thought of escaping crossed my mind, my body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Every time she tried to escape, she was met with a brutal beating.

This fear is now ingrained in our very bones.

Yi Huayue stared at the cave entrance, then suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself hard.

A sharp pain shot through me; it wasn't a dream, it was reality!

Someone really came to rescue her!

Yi Huayue gritted her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms, and dragged her stiff, trembling legs as she walked step by step toward the wooden stairs.

Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge.

But her eyes held an unprecedented firmness.

She gripped the rough wooden ladder and climbed up step by step.

Light streamed in little by little, illuminating her dusty face and the rekindled light in her eyes.

When she finally climbed out of the cellar and stood in the sunlight, tears welled up instantly, blurring her vision.

She came out.

She really crawled out of hell.

A childish yet angry voice came from behind her, each sound striking her heart like a hammer blow.

"Serves you right for bullying people! Serves you right for locking up that pretty girl!"

Yi Huayue slowly turned around.

In the setting sun, the demon who had tormented her lay sprawled on the ground, his face swollen like a pig's head, begging for mercy.

The four-year-old toddler was straddling his back, clenching her tiny fists, no bigger than a xiaolongbao (soup dumpling), and pounding them on his head.

The little fist looked soft, but when it landed, it made a muffled thunderous sound, and every time it hit, Zhou Laogun grimaced in pain.

"Stop hitting me...stop hitting me, little miss...I was wrong..."

Old Zhou was so overwhelmed that he could hardly breathe, feeling as if he were carrying a thousand-pound stone on his back, and that his bones were about to break.

Xiao Jin vented her anger, then stopped immediately upon hearing footsteps behind her. She turned around, her eyes lighting up: "Miss! You're out?"

She scrambled off Zhou Laogun, running towards Yi Huayue, reaching out to take her cold hand, her small chest puffed out high:

"Don't be afraid! Xiao Jin beat the big bad guy to a pulp!"

She could feel the girl's hands trembling. Feeling both scared and angry, she pulled the girl behind her and strode towards the door with her short legs.

"Let's go! Xiao Jin will take you out!"

The little yellow paper figure obediently followed behind the two, wobbling with every step.

Xiao Jin pushed open the heavy red-lacquered door with her shoulder, looking up with a smile: "Look, big sister! We're out!"

Looking at the sunset outside the door and the distant field ridges, Yi Huayue's tears fell even harder.

Just then, heavy footsteps came from behind, accompanied by heavy breathing.

Old Zhou actually managed to get up by pushing himself up from the ground.

He knew that if those two ran out and called the police, his life would be over.

With red eyes, he grabbed a hoe from the ground and chased after them like a madman.

"You bitch! You little brat! Stop right there!"

Yi Huayue froze, her face turning deathly pale, her limbs frozen in place, unable to move even her feet.

A deep-seated fear instantly overwhelmed her.

Xiao Jin reacted extremely quickly, immediately stepping in front of Yi Huayue to shield her, her little arms outstretched like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

The yellow paper figure following behind immediately jumped up, about to kick Zhou Laogun's eyes again.

But someone is faster than it.

A long leg clad in dark trousers came from the side and kicked Zhou Laogun squarely in the stomach.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Zhou Laogun flew several meters like a tattered sack, crashing heavily onto the dirt road. He twitched twice, his neck lolled to the side, and he immediately lost consciousness, his fate unknown.

Yun Mingyuan withdrew his foot, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

He strode over and looked Xiao Jin up and down. Seeing that she was not injured, he finally felt relieved.

Little Jin looked up at his imposing figure and his sharply defined profile, then clapped her hands and jumped up, her eyes sparkling like stars.

"Nephew! You're amazing!"

That kick was so cool!